peace dependent (on the ashes in my wake)
by Mrs. 11th
Summary: Modern Police AU. Stannis is the captain of his precinct, Melisandre is the medical examiner, and everything is very simple despite the public outing of a long affair, nosy coworkers, and a young daughter. Part one of a series.


**So, I had way too much fun writing this! I love Melisandre, I love writing her, I love her as a character, & I especially love this modern version of her that I've played with.**

 **Title is from Hozier's "Arsonist Lullabye," which is a really great song for Melisandre specifically & just in general.**

* * *

Melisandre got more odd looks _after_ than she did _before_. Of course, that wasn't saying much, as she did get quite a lot of odd looks _before_ it was confirmed that she had been sleeping with Captain Baratheon for years and was at least partly responsible for breaking up his marriage. Not that anyone particularly liked the Captain's wife, but it was the principal of the matter. Melisandre understood that.

 _Before,_ everyone had only speculated. Captain Baratheon spent much more time in the medical examiner's lab than many police captains did, but that was generally excused with the fact that Stannis only wanted to be perfectly knowledgeable in all the medical facts of the case. Yes, he often spent his lunches down there, but it was quiet, and he could escape the hectic atmosphere of the bullpen. The captain wouldn't deny that he considered Melisandre a friend, if asked. Neither of them had many good friends within the precinct, so no one was going to say anything about the amount of time that they spent together.

Very few people knew that they met outside of the precinct too. Drinks usually, and coffee occasionally. Not at all suspicious, really. Only one person knew that they'd been having an affair for almost as long as they'd both worked together. People guessed, yes, but the only person who actually knew for certain was Detective Seaworth, Stannis's former partner and best friend. And Seaworth knew to keep his mouth shut.

However, the secrecy changed on the morning that Selyse Baratheon stormed into the precinct, demanding to see her husband so that they could finish the argument they'd begun the previous night. Mrs. Baratheon had absolutely no qualms about screaming all of her husband's faults for the whole floor to hear. Captain Baratheon's faults included but were not limited to working late, leaving early, forgetting their anniversary, and sleeping with "that redheaded bitch." There were many redheads within the precinct, but the only possible redhead to whom Selyse could have been referring was Dr. Melisandre Asshai. Of course, there was the added fact that Selyse had pointed to Melisandre when she had declared this.

Melisandre, who had left her comfort of her lab for once and was delivering a file to Officer Snow at the time, simply raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow in reply to all of the stares which had turned her way, gave a last bit of verbal information to Snow (who looked startled out of his mind, poor dear), then spun on her heel and strutted away. Her lab coat flew out behind, like a sort of cape. The click of her crimson heels filled the silence which followed her exit, and she made sure to put a considerable swing to her hips. She waited until she was back in the safety of her lab to laugh. She'd be lying if she'd said she didn't enjoy that, just a bit.

That had been over a week ago. Since then, no one had directly approached Melisandre about the matter, but she received more side-eyes than she had before. People were more hesitant to come to her with questions which could easily be Google'd to find the answer. None of the detectives called her "Mel" anymore, which she wasn't at all upset about because she hated people she was unfamiliar with giving her nicknames, but she had grown quite used to it. It was as if the precinct as a whole had ceased trying to assimilate her into its family unit.

Really, Melisandre was relieved. She welcomed the quiet.

Nothing had been taken away from her interactions with Stannis. He still took late lunches in her lab while she finished reports. Those lunches were still almost entirely silent. They still met for drinks after work, if they were lucky enough to get off at the same time. However, he'd started to bring her coffee in the morning. Scones too on occasion, or even a bear claw. She'd assured him that he didn't need to make up for anything. She wasn't at all bothered by Selyse's outing of their relationship. He continued anyway. It seemed as if he was simply trying to be nice. And Melisandre wasn't going to say no to good coffee.

Melisandre really kept meaning to ask Stannis about how things were for him. Some of the detectives may think that their relationship was completely impersonal, but really it was the exact opposite. Melisandre had absolutely no clue what had happened to Stannis since his wife had kicked him out. Blunt as she may be, she didn't know when to bring it up. This wasn't just a rookie she could scare information out of, this was _Stannis._

Funnily enough, the morning she resolved to ask him about where he was staying, how things were going, was the morning that he volunteered the information himself, along with a load of other details.

Just as Melisandre finished changing into her red scrubs, Stannis strolled into Melisandre's lab with two coffee cups in one hand and a small paper bag in the other. With a grin, Melisandre took the cup that had _Mel_ scrawled on the side of it and kissed Stannis quickly. He held the bag out to her, and she peered inside to find a fresh bear claw. The pair retreated to Melisandre's office. Melisandre sat in her office chair, and Stannis perched on the edge of Melisandre's desk, facing her.

"I've been staying with Davos," Stannis began, "since I left Selyse. He and his wife were kind enough to let me have their couch, but last night I signed a lease on a two-bedroom apartment a few blocks away. Short walk to the precinct, and it passes a cafe on the way."

Melisandre took a sip of her coffee and relished the feeling of the too hot liquid on her tongue. "What's your point, Stannis?" she asked, not unkindly.

"Two points, actually," Stannis corrected with a small, quick smile. Melisandre glared, but her amused smirk ruined it.

"Would you consider moving in with me?" Stannis punctuated his inquiry by stealing a pinch of Melisandre's bear claw. She batted at his hand, but he was quick, and Melisandre only hit air.

Melisandre schooled her features and took another drink of her coffee. It was still slightly too hot to drink, but that never stopped Melisandre. Stannis would expect Melisandre to want to think on his request for a few days, so she made a quick decision.

"I'll more than consider it," Melisandre replied, "I'll agree to it."

Stannis's raised eyebrows were the only indication of his surprise. "Really?"

"Yes," Melisandre smiled genuinely at him. "Now, what's your second point?"

Stannis took a long drink of his coffee, then spoke, "I'd like you to meet my daughter."

"I _have_ met your daughter, Stannis." Everyone in the precinct had met Shireen Baratheon at least once. She often came into the precinct with her father during school holidays, and she wasn't a girl one could easily forget. Shireen was extremely intelligent, with a sharp wit, and a prominent scar over almost half of her face, the result of a kitchen fire when she was a baby.

"Officially, I mean," Stannis explained. "I'd like you to meet her as… my girlfriend."

They had never put a label on what they were, but Melisandre found herself oddly pleased that Stannis referred to her as his girlfriend. She supposed they might be dating now, rather than just sleeping together.

"Am I your girlfriend then?" Melisandre asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If you like," Stannis replied immediately, his face expressionless.

Melisandre took a moment before replying that she would quite like that, and that she would also like to meet Shireen _officially._

Officer Snow and his new partner, Ygritte Wild, burst into the medical lab then, loudly arguing about some new piece of evidence that they wanted Melisandre to check their most recent body for. Melisandre raised her eyebrows at Stannis as if to say _do you see the shit I deal with from these rookies?_ Snow and Wild quieted down as soon as they caught sight of their captain coming out of Melisandre's office.

"Meet me in my office when you finish up tonight," Stannis spoke into Melisandre's ear, mindful of their guests. "Selyse is dropping Shireen off here so that she can stay with me for a few days."

Melisandre nodded her agreement as she pulled her medical coat and latex gloves on. Stannis smiled briefly at Melisandre, spent a few minutes inquiring into Snow and Wild's recent development, then made his exit.

* * *

Luckily, it was a relatively early night for Melisandre. She finished up just after 8pm, changed out of her scrubs and into the dark jeans, red blouse, black leather jacket, and red heels which she'd arrived in that morning, and texted Stannis to let him know that she was on her way up.

The bullpen was starting to empty out as the daytime detectives went home for the night, and the night shift took their places. Most people were too tired to let their eyes follow Melisandre as she walked from the elevator to Stannis's office, but a few did stare. Snow smiled politely at Melisandre from behind his desk, and she inclined her head in return.

The door to Stannis's office was open a crack. Melisandre let herself in. Stannis and Shireen were almost ready to leave, it seemed; Stannis helped Shireen button up her grey peacoat, while she insisted that she could do it herself. He shot a tight smile at Melisandre when he saw her come in. After finishing with the buttons, Stannis stood, strode over to Melisandre, and quickly kissed her cheek. Shireen watched them like a hawk.

Stannis returned to Shireen's side and got onto one knee next to her so that she didn't have to look up at him.

"Shireen," Stannis said rather formally (and did Melisandre detect a hint of nerves?), "this is Melisandre."

"Dad," Shireen dragged the word out dramatically, "I've met Dr. Asshai before."

Melisandre had to smile at that. Shireen was a no-nonsense kind of girl, even at age ten, and Melisandre liked that about her.

"Yes, but you've not met her as the woman I'm dating," Stannis explained.

Shireen made a silent "oh" with her mouth and gave a nod of understanding. Melisandre, following Stannis's lead, knelt before Shireen.

"I've heard quite a bit about you, Shireen, since we last met," Melisandre said as a starter, and it was true. Stannis didn't talk about anything other than casual interests and work much, but he rarely stopped talking about Shireen once anyone got him started.

"It's been a long day, Dr. Asshai, so I feel like we should get to the point," Shireen replied with a very serious expression. Melisandre very briefly met Stannis's eyes with a miniscule, amused smile.

Melisandre nodded to Shireen to continue.

"You're dating my dad now."

Melisandre nodded again.

"Do you love him?" It was a simple question to a child, even one as mature as Shireen was.

In the few years that they'd been sleeping together, Melisandre and Stannis had never much talked about their emotions. They had deep discussions, about how they _felt_ and their innermost _thoughts_ , but never their explicit _emotions_ in regards to each other. However, that didn't mean that Melisandre didn't have an immediate answer for Shireen.

"I do," Melisandre replied without so much as a glance in Stannis's direction. She held eye contact with Shireen for a moment longer, before the girl nodded with a slight smile.

"Alright. That's good enough for me," Shireen concluded. "Dr. Asshai, would you like to come to dinner with Daddy and me? If that's alright." She turned to look at her father, who was beginning to stand.

Stannis nodded. "Of course, Shireen." He smiled down at Melisandre and held out a hand to help her up. She took it to be polite, but stood on her own, then let Stannis's hand go so that he could take Shireen's hand.

"So, would you?" Shireen gazed up at Melisandre with wide eyes.

"I would," Melisandre replied. She smiled down at the young girl, who reached for her hand as they walked towards the elevator.

Melisandre didn't think of herself as a maternal person. Really, the only things she'd been able to successfully nurture in the past few years were a few succulent plants and a large, mean, ginger tabby named Rh'llor. But Shireen already had a mother, bat-shit crazy as Selyse might have been, and the girl certainly didn't seem to desire another one. As they rode the elevator down to the ground floor, Shireen chattered on about her day and about how excited she was to be going out to dinner, and Melisandre resolved to be a guiding figure to the ten-year-old; a friend, if Shireen would have her.

Stannis met Melisandre's eyes over Shireen's head and smiled.

* * *

 **My plan for the police AU is to post a series of short fics all in the same universe, all existing at around the same time. Up next is Sansa/Margaery!**

 **Thanks for reading & please leave a review if you liked what you read!**


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